Demonstrators hold up roses while protesting the shooting death of Michael Brown on Aug. 18, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri.
Nancy Bristow, History, African American Studies.
April 7, 2014
4 p.m.
Archives & Special Collections area,
2nd Floor, Collins Library
Asked in August, 2014, whether the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri “raises important issues about race that need to be discussed,” 80% of African Americans said “yes,” while 47% of white Americans believed “race is getting more attention than it deserves.” These statistics make visible the divergent historical memories of two American communities and the powerful erasure silence around race makes possible. Focusing on the police shootings that took place at Jackson State College forty-five years ago, Professor Nancy Bristow will situate the recent events in Ferguson and beyond in the nation’s long history of state violence against African Americans and will explore the white community’s persistent unwillingness to acknowledge and address its racial dynamics.
Part of the Behind the Archives Door series!